Recipe Booklets and Other Helps for the Homemaker

 A local resident donated several booklets of recipes and other household hints, ranging in dates between 1915 and the 1940’s, to the historical collections of the Follett House Museum and the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center. The Commercial Banking & Trust Company distributed this promotional item in 1922:

The fruit jar markers contained adhesive-backed labels with the names of ingredients such as blackberry jelly or raspberry preserves. The labels could be easily attached to jars of home canned goods. The introduction of the booklet stated that canned fruits, pickles, and jams could easily “brighten the table” if the lady of the house had a very busy day.

Dainty Desserts for Dainty People was published by the Charles B. Knox Company in 1915.

The introduction of this booklet claimed that Knox Sparkling Gelatine was made under the very best sanitary conditions, and from the very best materials. While many cold desserts were featured in the booklet, there were also several recipes containing meat, seafood, and vegetables. Tips for setting the table and other suggestions for serving guests were included in the front of the publication.

Several of the recipe booklets offered help in stretching the household budget, while still providing healthy meals for the family. Eggs at Any Meal contained recipes for breakfast, lunch, supper and dessert, and pointed out that eggs provided a very efficient form of protein. The leaflet was written by Lucy M. Alexander, and was issued by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Several historic cookbooks can be accessed at the Feeding America online exhibit from Michigan State University.

Mrs. Willard A. Bishop’s Cookbook

Mrs. Mary Mathews Bishop was born about 1857 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and moved to Sandusky with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Matthews. She married Sandusky photographer Willard A. Bishop in 1884. She was an active member of Grace Episcopal Church.

Mrs. Willard A. Bishop’s cookbook was given to the Sandusky Library’s historical collections in 1985, from the Estate of Ethel Herman. Most of the recipes were handwritten, but a few were clipped from printed sources and pasted in the book. Some of the names of the recipes are unfamiliar to today’s world, such as “calves head hash” and “ragged britches,” which was a combination of milk, lard, soda, and salt that was combined and then fried. Often the title of the recipe reflected the person who gave it to Mrs. Bishop, including “Em Keyes’ Cocoanut Cake” and “Fannie Melville’s Sheet Cake.”

Below is a recipe for Oyster Cocktails (top of page).

Transcribed:

Oyster Cocktails

To ½ doz. oysters (Blue Pearls preferred) add one tablespoon of catsup, ½ teaspoon Worcestshire sauce, one dash of horseradish, lemon juice, salt and red pepper to suit taste.

(Mrs. Peterson’s Receipt)

It is interesting to read the various ingredients and cooking terms listed in Mrs. Bishop’s cookbook. In the era it was written, home cooked meals were the norm, and dining out occurred  only for special occasions. Mrs. Bishop died in 1925, and Willard A. Bishop in 1942. Both are buried in Oakland Cemetery. Mr. Willard A. Bishop’s obituary in the 1942 Obituary Notebook provides a detailed look at his sixty year career as a photographer in Sandusky.